Culture of Egypt Egyptian culture has six thousand years of recorded history. Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations and for millennia, Egypt maintained a strikingly complex and stable culture that influenced later cultures of Europe, the Middle East and other African countries. After the Pharaonic era, Egypt itself came under the influence of Hellenism, Christianity, and Islamic culture. Today, many aspects of Egypt's ancient culture exist in interaction with newer elements, including the influence of modern Western culture, itself with roots in ancient Egypt.
Egypt's capital city, Cairo, is Africa's largest city and has been renowned for centuries as a center of learning, culture and commerce. Egypt has the highest number of Nobel Laureates in Africa and the Arab World. Some Egyptian born politicians were or are currently at the helm of major international organizations like Boutros Boutros-Ghali of the United Nations and Mohamed ElBaradei of the IAEA.
Egypt is a recognized cultural trend-setter of the Arabic-speaking world, and contemporary Arab culture is heavily influenced by Egyptian literature, music, film and television. Egypt gained a regional leadership role during the 1950s and 1960s, which gave a further enduring boost to the standing of Egyptian culture in the Arab world.
Egypt’s Average temperature and Rainfall
Average Temperature in Cairo
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
°C
13.8
15.2
17.4
21.4
24.7
27.3
27.9
27.9
26.3
23.7
19.1
15.1
21.7
°F
56.8
59.4
63.3
70.5
76.5
81.1
82.2
82.2
79.3
74.7
66.4
59.2
71.1
Average Rainfall in Cairo
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
mm
5.1
3.8
3.7
1.5
1.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
1.0
2.5
5.7
24.8
inches
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.2
1.0
Climate
In Cairo, and along the Nile River Valley, the climate is a desert climate (BWh according to the system), but often with high humidity due to the river valley's effects. Wind storms can be frequent, bringing Saharan dust into the city during the months of March and April. High temperatures in winter range from 13°C to 19°C, while night-time lows drop to below 8°C, often to 5°C. In summer, the highs rarely surpass 40°C, and lows drop to about 20°C. Rainfall is sparse, but sudden showers do cause harsh flooding. In New Cairo, the temperatures often drop below zero during winter. New Cairo's weather is generally cooler than that of Cairo due to its higher altitude.
The Flag of Egypt The first national flag of modern Egypt was established by a Royal Decree in 1923 when Egypt gained conditional independence from Great Britain in 1922. The color was green with a white crescent and three stars in the middle. In 1958, a Presidential Decree established a new flag for the United Arab Republic which comprised a merger of Syria and Egypt. The new flag had three colors: red, white with 2 green stars and black. The flag was rectangular in shape and the width was one-third of its length. In 1972, the Law was amended to change the flag. The stars were removed from the flag and replaced by a golden hawk. In 1984, the hawk was replaced by a golden eagle on the eagle of Saladdin, the Ayubbid Sultan who ruled Egypt and Syria in 12th Century, the same Saladdin of the Crusades.
Currency Tips for Egypt: The Currency in Egypt is the Egyptian pound (LE - Livre Egyptienne) and it is divided into 100 piaster. In Arabic it is called Genaeh. Here you will find 25 and 50 piaster notes and various sized coins down to the 5 piaster. At present $1 dollar is equivalent to 6.2 Egyptian pounds Currency conversion:
$1 (US) is 5.5 Egyptian pounds
£1 (UK) is 8.9 Egyptian pounds
1 Euro is 8.10 Egyptian pounds
Currency Converter for 164 Currencies In Egypt, most of the banks are open from Sunday to Thursday; working hours being 0830 to 1400, though banks at the airports and the major entry ports are open 24 hours daily. Note: Most of the major credit/debit cards, such as American Express, MasterCard, Visa, all Euro cards and JCB, are widely accepted in various hotels and shops. If you want to use an ATM machine, they mostly accept Visa, MasterCard and Cirrus cards. If you can't find an ATM machine in your vicinity, you can still obtain cash if you go to any of the Misr Bank braches. Banks are unwillingly to accept $100 notes issued before 1992. If you wish to convert your currency, you can use $US, £UK or Euros, as they are accepted in many banks and other places. If you at any point during your tour, you run out of money, and your credit cards are not being accepted, you still can get money wired to you from abroad. In Egypt, there are plenty of Western Union branches; it takes just a few minutes to get any sum of money sent you from abroad. TIP Don’t change your $, £ or Euro until you arrive in Egypt – the conversion rate is far better here!
Egypt Tourist Attractions 1. PYRAMIDS: There are more than 80 pyramids in Egypt which were built mostly between 2600 BC and 1500 BC and all are situated close to the Nile river. After the ruler died (or other prominent royal figures like queens), their bodies were wrapped and preserved as a mummy, and placed in the Pyramid. The most popular pyramids are the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx: An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Giza also has the largest pyramid also known as "Great Pyramid" which rises an amazing 481 feet. 2. CAIRO: It is the capital of Egypt. Popular attractions of Cairo include:
a) Khan al-Khalili market: Khan al-Khalili is one of the largest markets in the world which attracts both local's and international tourists. This is a great place to but exotic perfume bottles, Arabic clothing and other souvenirs.
b) Egyptian Museum of Antiquities: It have over hundred thousand artifacts in 107 halls. The most popular attraction is the Tutankhamun Gallery.
c) Other attractions are Pyramids of Giza (mentioned above) and Old Cairo. 3. ABU SIMBEL: It was carved out of sandstone cliffs high above the River Nile. The most famous attraction are the four colossal 20m-high statues of Ramses II guarding the entrance. When the waters of Lake Nasser to rise, UNESCO relocated them to a high ground between 1964 and 1968. 4.KARNAK TEMPLES: It is a huge complex comprising of three main temples and many smaller ones, most famous among them is the Temple of Amun. It is estimated that they were built in a time span of 1300 years. 5: LUXOR TEMPLE: The modern town of Luxor is the site of the famous city of Thebes,( or the city of a hundred gates). A row of sphinxes line the entrance to Karnak Temple. The most famous section of these temples is a huge all called the Great Hypostyle Hall. 6: SIWA OASIS: The area is famous for its dates and olives, and is one of the most beautiful landscapes and springs in Egypt. It was the most inaccessible oasis until recently. It lies 60 feed below sea level. 7: NUBIAN MUSEUM OF ASWAN: It is designed to house the fantastic collection items unearthed from the archaeological excavations during the Nubia Campaign. 8. VALLEY OF THE KINGS: The Valley of the Kings is located on the West Bank of the River Nile in Thebes. There are 62 tombs in the valley. It has two components - the East Valley and the West Valley. It is the East Valley which most tourists visit and in which most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs can be found. 9: ALEXANDRIA: Best places to see are - Pompey's Pillar,Bibliotheca Alexandria, Alexandria National Museum, King Farouk Palace and the Roman Amphitheater. 10: SHARM EL SHEIKH: Best places to see are - Sinai Mountain, Na'ama Bay,Tiran Island, Terrazzina Beach and White Lagoon.
Other attractions of Egypt include the White Desert, Hurghada and Felucca on the Nile.
Religion
Cairo's unique cityscape with its ancient mosques. Cairo is known as the "city of a thousand minarets" Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. Between 80% and 90% are identified as Muslim. Almost the entire population of Muslims are Sunni. A significant number of Muslim Egyptians also follow native Sufiorders, and there is a minority of Shi'a. There is a large minority of Christians in Egypt, who make up the remainder of the population (between 10% and 20%). 90% of Egyptian Christians belong to the native **Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria**. Other native Egyptian Christians are adherents of the Coptic Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church of Egypt and various other Protestant denominations. Non-native Christian communities are largely found in the urban regions of Cairo and Alexandria. There is also a small, but nonetheless historically significant, non-immigrant Bahá'í population of around 2000, and an even smaller community of Jews of about 200, then a tiny number of Egyptians who identify as atheist and agnostic. The non-Sunni, non-Coptic communities range in size from several hundreds to a few thousand. Millions of Egyptians follow the Christian faith as members of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. According to the constitution of Egypt, any new legislation must at least implicitly agree with **Islamic law**; however, the constitution bans political parties with a religious agenda. Egypt hosts two major religious institutions. Al-Azhar University, founded in 970 A.D by the Fatimids as the first Islamic University in Egypt and the main Egyptian Church the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria established in the middle of the 1st century by Saint Mark. Religion plays a central role in most Egyptians' lives, The Adhan (Islamic call to prayer) that is heard five times a day has the informal effect of regulating the pace of everything from business to media and entertainment. Cairo is famous for its numerous mosqueminarets and is justifiably dubbed "the city of 1,000 minarets", with a significant number of church towers. This religious landscape has been marred by a history of religious extremism, recently witnessing a 2006 judgement of Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court, which made a clear legal distinction between "recognized religions" (i.e., Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and all other religious beliefs. This ruling effectively delegitimizes and forbids practice of all but the three Abrahamic religions. This judgment had made it necessary for non-Abrahamic religious communities to either commit perjury or be denied Egyptian identification cards (see Egyptian identification card controversy), until a 2008 Cairo court case ruled that unrecognized religious minorities may obtain birth certificates and identification documents, so long as they omit their religion on court documents. In 2002, under the Mubarak government, Coptic Christmas (January the 7th) was recognized as an official holiday, though Copts complain of being minimally represented in law enforcement, state security and public office, and of being discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their religion. The Coptic community, as well as several human rights activists and intellectuals, maintain that the number of Christians occupying government posts is not proportional to the number of Copts in Egypt.
Cairo, Egypt
Culture of Egypt
Egyptian culture has six thousand years of recorded history. Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations and for millennia, Egypt maintained a strikingly complex and stable culture that influenced later cultures of Europe, the Middle East and other African countries. After the Pharaonic era, Egypt itself came under the influence of Hellenism, Christianity, and Islamic culture. Today, many aspects of Egypt's ancient culture exist in interaction with newer elements, including the influence of modern Western culture, itself with roots in ancient Egypt.
Egypt's capital city, Cairo, is Africa's largest city and has been renowned for centuries as a center of learning, culture and commerce. Egypt has the highest number of Nobel Laureates in Africa and the Arab World. Some Egyptian born politicians were or are currently at the helm of major international organizations like Boutros Boutros-Ghali of the United Nations and Mohamed ElBaradei of the IAEA.
Egypt is a recognized cultural trend-setter of the Arabic-speaking world, and contemporary Arab culture is heavily influenced by Egyptian literature, music, film and television. Egypt gained a regional leadership role during the 1950s and 1960s, which gave a further enduring boost to the standing of Egyptian culture in the Arab world.
Egypt’s Average temperature and Rainfall
Climate
In Cairo, and along the Nile River Valley, the climate is a desert climate (BWh according to the system), but often with high humidity due to the river valley's effects. Wind storms can be frequent, bringing Saharan dust into the city during the months of March and April. High temperatures in winter range from 13°C to 19°C, while night-time lows drop to below 8°C, often to 5°C. In summer, the highs rarely surpass 40°C, and lows drop to about 20°C. Rainfall is sparse, but sudden showers do cause harsh flooding. In New Cairo, the temperatures often drop below zero during winter. New Cairo's weather is generally cooler than that of Cairo due to its higher altitude.The Flag of Egypt
The first national flag of modern Egypt was established by a Royal Decree in 1923 when Egypt gained conditional independence from Great Britain in 1922. The color was green with a white crescent and three stars in the middle. In 1958, a Presidential Decree established a new flag for the United Arab Republic which comprised a merger of Syria and Egypt. The new flag had three colors: red, white with 2 green stars and black. The flag was rectangular in shape and the width was one-third of its length. In 1972, the Law was amended to change the flag. The stars were removed from the flag and replaced by a golden hawk. In 1984, the hawk was replaced by a golden eagle on the eagle of Saladdin, the Ayubbid Sultan who ruled Egypt and Syria in 12th Century, the same Saladdin of the Crusades.
Currency Tips for Egypt:
The Currency in Egypt is the Egyptian pound (LE - Livre Egyptienne) and it is divided into 100 piaster. In Arabic it is called Genaeh. Here you will find 25 and 50 piaster notes and various sized coins down to the 5 piaster. At present $1 dollar is equivalent to 6.2 Egyptian pounds
Currency conversion:
Currency Converter for 164 Currencies
In Egypt, most of the banks are open from Sunday to Thursday; working hours being 0830 to 1400, though banks at the airports and the major entry ports are open 24 hours daily.
Note: Most of the major credit/debit cards, such as American Express, MasterCard, Visa, all Euro cards and JCB, are widely accepted in various hotels and shops. If you want to use an ATM machine, they mostly accept Visa, MasterCard and Cirrus cards. If you can't find an ATM machine in your vicinity, you can still obtain cash if you go to any of the Misr Bank braches. Banks are unwillingly to accept $100 notes issued before 1992. If you wish to convert your currency, you can use $US, £UK or Euros, as they are accepted in many banks and other places.
If you at any point during your tour, you run out of money, and your credit cards are not being accepted, you still can get money wired to you from abroad. In Egypt, there are plenty of Western Union branches; it takes just a few minutes to get any sum of money sent you from abroad.
TIP Don’t change your $, £ or Euro until you arrive in Egypt – the conversion rate is far better here!
Egypt Tourist Attractions
1. PYRAMIDS: There are more than 80 pyramids in Egypt which were built mostly between 2600 BC and 1500 BC and all are situated close to the Nile river. After the ruler died (or other prominent royal figures like queens), their bodies were wrapped and preserved as a mummy, and placed in the Pyramid. The most popular pyramids are the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx: An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Giza also has the largest pyramid also known as "Great Pyramid" which rises an amazing 481 feet.
2. CAIRO: It is the capital of Egypt. Popular attractions of Cairo include:
a) Khan al-Khalili market: Khan al-Khalili is one of the largest markets in the world which attracts both local's and international tourists. This is a great place to but exotic perfume bottles, Arabic clothing and other souvenirs.
b) Egyptian Museum of Antiquities: It have over hundred thousand artifacts in 107 halls. The most popular attraction is the Tutankhamun Gallery.
c) Other attractions are Pyramids of Giza (mentioned above) and Old Cairo.
3. ABU SIMBEL: It was carved out of sandstone cliffs high above the River Nile. The most famous attraction are the four colossal 20m-high statues of Ramses II guarding the entrance. When the waters of Lake Nasser to rise, UNESCO relocated them to a high ground between 1964 and 1968.
4.KARNAK TEMPLES: It is a huge complex comprising of three main temples and many smaller ones, most famous among them is the Temple of Amun. It is estimated that they were built in a time span of 1300 years.
5: LUXOR TEMPLE: The modern town of Luxor is the site of the famous city of Thebes,( or the city of a hundred gates). A row of sphinxes line the entrance to Karnak Temple. The most famous section of these temples is a huge all called the Great Hypostyle Hall.
6: SIWA OASIS: The area is famous for its dates and olives, and is one of the most beautiful landscapes and springs in Egypt. It was the most inaccessible oasis until recently. It lies 60 feed below sea level.
7: NUBIAN MUSEUM OF ASWAN: It is designed to house the fantastic collection items unearthed from the archaeological excavations during the Nubia Campaign.
8. VALLEY OF THE KINGS: The Valley of the Kings is located on the West Bank of the River Nile in Thebes. There are 62 tombs in the valley. It has two components - the East Valley and the West Valley. It is the East Valley which most tourists visit and in which most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs can be found.
9: ALEXANDRIA: Best places to see are - Pompey's Pillar,Bibliotheca Alexandria, Alexandria National Museum, King Farouk Palace and the Roman Amphitheater.
10: SHARM EL SHEIKH: Best places to see are - Sinai Mountain, Na'ama Bay,Tiran Island, Terrazzina Beach and White Lagoon.
Other attractions of Egypt include the White Desert, Hurghada and Felucca on the Nile.
Religion
Cairo's unique cityscape with its ancient mosques. Cairo is known as the "city of a thousand minarets"Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. Between 80% and 90% are identified as Muslim. Almost the entire population of Muslims are Sunni. A significant number of Muslim Egyptians also follow native Sufi orders, and there is a minority of Shi'a.
There is a large minority of Christians in Egypt, who make up the remainder of the population (between 10% and 20%). 90% of Egyptian Christians belong to the native **Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria**. Other native Egyptian Christians are adherents of the Coptic Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church of Egypt and various other Protestant denominations. Non-native Christian communities are largely found in the urban regions of Cairo and Alexandria.
There is also a small, but nonetheless historically significant, non-immigrant Bahá'í population of around 2000, and an even smaller community of Jews of about 200, then a tiny number of Egyptians who identify as atheist and agnostic. The non-Sunni, non-Coptic communities range in size from several hundreds to a few thousand.
Millions of Egyptians follow the Christian faith as members of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
According to the constitution of Egypt, any new legislation must at least implicitly agree with **Islamic law**; however, the constitution bans political parties with a religious agenda. Egypt hosts two major religious institutions. Al-Azhar University, founded in 970 A.D by the Fatimids as the first Islamic University in Egypt and the main Egyptian Church the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria established in the middle of the 1st century by Saint Mark.
Religion plays a central role in most Egyptians' lives, The Adhan (Islamic call to prayer) that is heard five times a day has the informal effect of regulating the pace of everything from business to media and entertainment. Cairo is famous for its numerous mosque minarets and is justifiably dubbed "the city of 1,000 minarets", with a significant number of church towers. This religious landscape has been marred by a history of religious extremism, recently witnessing a 2006 judgement of Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court, which made a clear legal distinction between "recognized religions" (i.e., Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and all other religious beliefs. This ruling effectively delegitimizes and forbids practice of all but the three Abrahamic religions. This judgment had made it necessary for non-Abrahamic religious communities to either commit perjury or be denied Egyptian identification cards (see Egyptian identification card controversy), until a 2008 Cairo court case ruled that unrecognized religious minorities may obtain birth certificates and identification documents, so long as they omit their religion on court documents.
In 2002, under the Mubarak government, Coptic Christmas (January the 7th) was recognized as an official holiday, though Copts complain of being minimally represented in law enforcement, state security and public office, and of being discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their religion. The Coptic community, as well as several human rights activists and intellectuals, maintain that the number of Christians occupying government posts is not proportional to the number of Copts in Egypt.